Our Lady of You!

I recently attended a course entitled: “The Marian Mystery and the Theology
of the Body.” It was a deep-dive into the wild beauty, tender love, and full fiat of our
Blessed Mother. At one point, the instructor, Christopher West, showed images of
Our Lady appearing to various cultures, as a native of that region in feature and
dress. Our Lady of Guadalupe, for example, appears as a lowly mestizo, a
combination of European and indigenous Aztec features, and she speaks to Juan
Diego in his own dialect of Nahuatl. On her garment, there are many symbols that
would have communicated very particular, meaningful messages to the Aztec
people. For instance, the black sash around her waist would have signified
pregnancy and the four-petaled flower directly over her womb was a symbol of
Divinity. So it would have been clear to witnesses that she was bearing God within.
Then there is Our Lady of Rwanda, Our Lady of Japan, Our Lady of Thailand, Our
Lady of the Snows, appearing as an Eskimo woman, just to name a few. She comes
to each culture as one of them. Our Lady is one of us. She is not distant. She
embraces all we are and comes as one who knows us and loves us. She wants to
come so close that she becomes one of us!
Our Blessed Mother knows not only our mother tongue, but also, the
language of our heart. As Christopher pointed to a student in the back of the
classroom, he said: “Our Lady of Ross!” Our Lady comes to you knowing your heart’s
native tongue, your love language, what makes you tick.
Our own Mama Laura, foundress of Hope’s Garden, often says, “It’s true that
God wants to marry us, but even more particularly, God wants to marry you.”
The same goes for our beautiful, gentle Blessed Mother. Yes, she wants to
come close to us with her motherly care. She also wants to come close to me with
her motherly care, specific to me. How does she come to me?
How does Our Blessed Mother come to you?
What is she wearing? How does she speak to you? What symbols may she
don or use to meet your heart in particular ways?

Copyright 2023 – Marian West